It is known to employ paperboard carriers which grip the top portions of cans so that most of the can height is unenclosed. One such carrier design consists of a top panel spaced from a bottom panel by short side panels, with the tops of the cans located in the space between the top and bottom panels. The cans are introduced to the carrier through apertures in the bottom panel and typically are held in place by support tabs which extend up from the bottom panel to engage the underside of the chimes. Finger openings in the top panel enable the carrier to be lifted and carried.
Paperboard carriers of this type are more comfortable to carry than the thin plastic carriers which are sometimes used to grip the top portions of beverage cans. They are inexpensive to manufacture, are environmentally acceptable and include a substantially unbroken top panel surface which provides ample space for printed indicia. It is difficult, however, particularly with newer can designs which feature a longer very steep taper between the main can body and the can top, to engage the can chimes with support tabs throughout the circumference of the cans. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a carrier of this type which readily supports the cans substantially throughout their circumference. Another object is to more tightly hold the cans in place within the carrier.